Camille Desmoulins at Cateau Cambresis
by 5aira
Summary: Camille is only seven and he's sent away to school; he's very clever but a left hander - not acceptable to the priests He left home speaking fluently and returned with an ineradicable stutter which stayed with him to the guillotine- this may explain it in small part - other more distressing possibilities are obvious.


**Camille Desmoulins At Cateau Cambresis **

**Part One**

**1767**

Day 1 a.m.

Father Berardier is serving his last month at Cateau Cambresis; he is being transferred to Lycee Louis Le Grand, where his superiors think he will be less troubled by the sufferings of the older boys; he has actually complained about the treatment of some of the younger children here. Still he watches the new intake as they arrive, none of them is more than seven but as he watches the Desmoulins child climbing carefully down from the diligence he is struck by how very small and delicate he is – surely too young to be all on his own? Something about the child's ashen face, the mute misery reflected in his dark eyes and the air of precocious intelligence which radiates in spite of it all determines Father Berardier to keep as close an eye on him as possible in this place where any threat of tenderness is poisoned like a noxious weed by those in charge. Le petit Desmoulins picks up his trunk and is swept into the hall by the tide of boys around him.

Day 1 p.m.

Camille has tried to speak a few times since his arrival, he has a lot to say for himself as his father would be quick to tell you, but every time he tries his throat constricts and although he can remember the words he can't quite move them from brain to mouth.' Papa', he thinks,' must have been ever so cross with me, I do wish I hadn't always been pestering him, maybe if I had been quiet like Clement he wouldn't have sent me away.' Camille is distraught, but Camille is resourceful and he has a plan. He will earn his place back in Papa's heart by working really hard, writing him lovely letters and being very, very clever. Then Papa will love him again and let him come home.

Day 2 – First Class

Father Berardier makes a point of dropping in to observe the first Greek lesson for the new intake. The boys file in and take their places at the desks already set with paper, ink and pens; the Desmoulins child is still deathly pale and appears to be shaking as he takes his seat.

Unsurprisingly Camille has lain awake all night listening to assorted sighs, sniffles and sobbing whilst making no noise himself; he hasn't eaten any of the truly revolting breakfast they offered him and by now he hasn't spoken a word for forty eight hours. In spite of this his heart lifts a little when he sees the Greek alphabet carefully inscribed on a board at the front of the hall. Camille knows Greek; Papa taught him and he loved it – they used to sit up late in Papa's study and sometimes Papa would tell him about how much the Romans admired the Greeks. Maybe he shouldn't have kept Papa up so late.

Camille's eyes often trouble him and they are stinging badly now; he makes a fist and rubs at them; his hand is wet! He must be crying then. Tears continue to run down his softly rounded cheeks but he listens oh so carefully to the instructions of the priest in charge and his heart lifts a little more. Copy the alphabet? Is that all? His plan is working. Camille can do it without copying; he has been able to do it for over a year. If he makes a really good job of it maybe the priest in charge will write to Papa and the long task of reconciliation can begin.

Father Berardier has stayed to watch, he worries about all these abandoned children. It is clear to him that many of the boys are using pen and ink for the first time, their inky offerings besmirching the virgin paper in an infinite variety of styles. His eye is drawn to the Desmoulins boy who is already halfway through the alphabet in perfect calligraphic style. For a second he feels joy at the thought that there must be some congratulations coming the child's way, he certainly looks as if he needs it, but the brief moment of joy is replaced by a chill of horror as he notices something odd about the boy – the priest in charge has seen it too – he picks up the cane and leaves his chair.

Camille feels almost happy. He can see that his work is better than all those around him; his plan is definitely working; but still he concentrates assiduously, eyes cast down, violet circles beneath lapped by his long feathery lashes. His beautiful penmanship has taken him to rho – this is actually going to be fun he thinks.

A sudden noise breaks into his reverie and a savage blow land on his writing hand, knocking his pen to the floor and upsetting ink all over his work. All the boys turn round to see what he has done wrong. Camille is a much loved child; he has never in his life been hurt like that before. Thin scarlet weals are already erupting on his delicate hand; utterly confused he thinks 'but Papa always said I was good at this'.

Slowly he begins to make sense of the words coming out of the mouth of the wielder of the cane,

'Not with the left hand! Not with the left hand!'

And in a terrible parody of percussion he continues to bring the cane down on Camille's hand on the words NOT and LEFT.

As Father Berardier moves forward to end the nightmare le petit Desmoulins slips to the floor in a dead faint.

**Cateau Cambresis **

**Part 2**

**Naissance d'un petit revolutionnaire**

_Recap – Camille has fainted after being beaten for using his left hand to write with._

Now here is an interesting thing; to the best of our knowledge Camille has not spoken a word since his arrival yet as he slips to the floor his classmates flock to his side and he comes to his senses in a press of small warm bodies which appears to be forming a type of human shield against the outside world. We have to ask ourselves if this is the first manifestation of that 'black radiance' that Max will later try to explain to St Just. The noise of the disturbance has reached the refectory from where bursts forth a small but determined girl. She is carrying a cup carefully in two hands and she makes her way to where Camille is now sitting up, supported by one of the boys. Instinctively recognizing her good intent his protectors part to let her through. She kneels down by Camille and holds the cup to his lips;

'Please try it, it's warm milk with some honey, Maman always gives it to us if we're poorly – she sent me with it'

This action may actually save Camille's life – remember how small he is and how long it is since he has taken nourishment. His own mummy sometimes gave them warm milk at home, it can be very comforting. Camille finishes the milk and gives the girl the sweetest smile she has ever seen. She takes the cup and disappears back to her mother in the refectory.

Father Berardier is still talking to the Priest in Charge and the lesson is clearly over .The boys insist on carrying Camille up to their shared dormitory, although between the warm milk and the group sympathy he is beginning to feel better. One of the boys explains what has happened; Camille really wants to speak now – he thinks the words might just come back if he clears his throat a little

'Ahem, hem, oh well I suppose I can easily enough learn to use my right hand if that's all it takes - everything else seems easy enough'

In point of fact he has difficulty with all the words that start with a consonant but to his classmates, who know no different, it seems natural to Camille and very appealing.

After this Father Berardier watches the new intake even more closely. They seem to have formed a much stronger bond than other cohorts and the Desmoulins child seems to be at the centre of it somehow. Camille quickly learns to use his right hand and although his calligraphic skills never fully recover the curriculum is well within his capabilities. He spends the left over time helping any of his classmates who struggle. As a result they make fast progress, a fact which frustrates the Priest in Charge who enjoys punishing small children for making mistakes. Still he can always fall back on ridiculing Camille. Camille develops a way of looking at him; his face a mixture of compliance offset by an incendiary contempt reflected in his huge eyes. The Priest in Charge finds this disturbing.

In his last three weeks Father Berardier takes to looking in on the boys at night. He sees, but does not tell, that they have begun to take it in turns to share Camille's bed; it is the only way to get him to sleep. Camille's new found ebullience of spirit has a tense, febrile quality to it and it deserts him absolutely at night. Without the warmth of another body he will tremble and shake in the grip of violent outbursts of sobbing. The boys notice that his stammer gets worse towards the evening too.

Day 21

There is to be an important visit from the Bishop of Cambrai. He is charged with overseeing the educational establishments in the diocese. Almost everyone is very excited; the boys in Camille's class though seem to have developed a precocious air of disdain for convention unusual in seven year olds. Father Berardier suspects that this somehow due to Camille's influence but can't really see how it is being effected.

When he looks in on them that night he is surprised to see that instead of the usual ten sleeping boys and Camille being cuddled by whoever's turn it is on duty, all the boys are awake and clustered around Camille. The bigger surprise though is that he can hear Camille talking; quietly, fluently, without a trace of the debilitating stutter which everyone at Cateau Cambresis thinks is his birthright. The boys give him their undivided attention

'So – this will work beautifully – but only if we all stick together – we can get a little bit of revenge and we won't get into any trouble – but we must all stick together – Yes?'

Father Berardier slips away; he already knows the answer will be yes; next week he will be on the diligence to Louis Le Grand and will never see Camille again.

Day 27 The Great Day

The Bishop is ushered into Camille's Greek class. They all stand up dutifully and the Bishop gestures them to sit down. The priest in Charge points at Camille; he wants him to translate the first line. Camille knew this would happen everything is unfolding as he planned it; he can't speak in these situations and his tormentor knows it. He stammers and stutters his way to the end. The Priest in Charge exchanges a glance with the Bishop 'this boy's an imbecile' he seems to say. Smiling knowingly he points to another, more confident boy; to his utter astonishment this boy responds with a perfect imitation of Camille's stutter. Astonishment turns to horror as every boy in the class turns in the same perfect performance. In front of the Bishop it seems that he has presided over a class fluent only in gibberish. The Bishop asks Father Berardier to close the class and invites the Priest in Charge to accompany him to Father Prior's cell.

Day 28

Father Berardier has company in the Paris diligence that day. The Priest in Charge is being transferred to a post with less responsibility and a much smaller stipend. Camille's classmates stand in a row waving a vigorous goodbye which is capable of many interpretations. Camille has already thanked Father Berardier privately for his kindness and is at this moment onhis way to the refectory where he has made a good friend.

Postscript

After this month at Cateau Cambresis Camille will be ambidextrous; his future career however will incline strongly to the left.


End file.
